Bible | TFRC | The Faith Resource Community

12/02/24 Seize the Moment

Being a man who’s lost one of his children, I’m often reminded of the many wasted moments, wrong decisions, and times when other things appeared more important than devoting time to her. I look back and wish I had seized every opportunity to enjoy her, instead of placing other supposedly more important things ahead of her.

As husbands and fathers, we are truly blessed. We each have the honor of witnessing the lives of those God has given us. As we observe their days, it’s our privilege to share in the delights they experience and grieve with them when they’re in need of a shoulder to cry on. All investments in them add to the wonder of participating in the life God has given them.

At certain points in the din of everyday life, most of us lose the importance of time spent with those standing close to us. Instead of grasping every instant to appreciate those precious moments, challenges, decisions, needs, and schedules cloud the wonder of family life, sometimes to the point of being too late. How I wish I had redeemed the time! How I wish I had seized every opportunity I had to participate in my first daughter’s life! Today I determine in my heart to not make the same mistake with those who remain.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

11/30/24 Carving Away What Was

“Don’t you think that I would love to give you everything that you would like from Me? Do you for one moment believe that I do not see your need and desire to meet those needs with all My heart? I would! You see, however, we have an agreement. You have agreed to allow Jesus to be Lord over everything that you are, all that you own, and every situation in your life. I have agreed to conform you into the image of Jesus. Those two commitments are working together to accomplish truth for your life.

“You have no ability to become anything other than what you have always been. You need Me to change you. To do that, I place you in situations, bring people into your life, and allow hardship to come your way to carve away at the person you used to be, in order to allow room for your new inner being to come to the forefront. I am never far from fulfilling all your desires. Before I do that, however, your desires need to be conformed to those of Jesus. When that is accomplished, it allows you to fulfill your commitment to Me and My promise to you. It is allowing everything to work together for good.

“Is it not time for you to stop asking Me only for things? Those will all come as you grow up and I am able to send them your way. Begin to work with Me and allow My promise to come to pass in you. You will be amazed at how delightful your life will be. Be assured that I will keep My promise to you. While I am doing that, I am helping you to keep your commitment to Me.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Ephesians 3:16 AMP

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

Sometimes our “life” becomes so big in front of us, that we forget what our reason for breathing really is. We have been born into the kingdom of God to serve. Jesus has authored and is finishing our faith through what has been and is being done because of the work of the cross and the open grave. Father God is completing us to be a proper representation of that work.

During times when the process of “carving” becomes particularly intense, I have difficulty remembering that it is commitment, motivated by intense love on the part of our Father in heaven, that is at work. I forget what this life is really all about.

Thank You for always remembering, Lord,

Jim Corbett

11/30/24 We Don’t Understand

As a man who understood so little for so long regarding the spiritual impact my actions had, all I can do now is fall before the Lord in repentance as He reveals them to me. Don’t get me wrong; I know I’m forgiven, and each day I’m reminded of the wonder of the cross and the shed blood of Jesus. Those truths give me the privilege of relying on Christ every day.

My point is: in observing the actions of the world and even the church, it’s painfully noticeable that few of us men understand the spiritual significance of our words and actions until they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. As men, does it register, for example, that adultery in any form rips apart the spirit of those we sin against, including us? Do we understand that placing anything before our marriage and our children causes untold spiritual damage to the inner beings of those we steward? It rarely crosses our minds that our sons, and especially our daughters, can spend years attempting to fill gaping voids because of our careless words, thoughtless actions, or lack of involvement in their lives. Because it’s rarely seen for what it is, and the consequences of our foolishness add up little by little in most cases, it’s often too late to repair the damage without a powerful move of God once we realize what we’ve done.

It’s time for men to dig in with God and ask Him to show us the corresponding consequences of our thoughts, words, and actions - good and bad. It’s time to assess what’s happening in the spiritual realm when we move through our lives doing this and saying that, often unaware of the spiritual damage we do to those near us. God is always looking to restore families in both large and small ways.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

11/29/24 No Longer That Person

“Don’t limit Me because of your fears! Don’t hinder My life flowing through you, because you refuse to give up your hold on the life that once was yours. You are no longer that person. You have been born anew.

“The new life that was given to you when you surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus fully accepts My spiritual gifts. It desires the truth in Jesus. It desires My presence. It is in training to function for all of eternity with Me. Do not limit access to Me by your fears. Seek truth. Confirm truth with My Word; then flow in it. Receive the power and might of the Holy Spirit in your inner man. Become strong in Him!”

Ephesians 3:16-17 AMP

16) May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

17) May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

We miss so much of God when we walk in fear. Most of our fears are accepted by other Christians who live in fear themselves. If we took the Word of God at its face value, it would dispel any questions we have regarding how we should be living our lives. It would be very clear to us that we are to live as Jesus lived, being fully committed to the Father’s plans, placing no restrictions on how the Father desires to work in our lives. Any fear that stops us from living Christ’s life each day causes us to miss so much and limits us to standing on the sidelines of the wonder that has been provided for us.

Forgive me for my fears, Lord,

Jim Corbett

11/29/24 Foolishness

In my teens, I had this car. It was relatively unremarkable, but I used it to show my bravado and came close to hurting myself due to my stupidity every time I got behind the wheel. I loved to look under the hood at its three carbs with chrome pots. Over the life of the car, I replaced two engines, three transmissions, and two rear ends. I burned through three sets of tires and the favor of several neighbors within a matter of a couple years. I can only look back on that period of my life and shake my head in wonder at the idiocy displayed in those days.

I guess that was the beginning of my pattern of foolishness before the Lord got hold of my heart and showed me its real value. Looking back, there are so many things I would’ve done differently if only I’d known better. Country singer Roy Clark recorded a song called “Yesterday When I Was Young.” In it, he laments over his foolish approach to life. Boy, I can identify with that song!

In the song, however, the singer unfortunately has no answers and no forgiveness. I’m so grateful that I do in Jesus. My Lord erased my past with its hopeless future and designed a new bright plan for my life. His love has built a hedge around me to protect me from my own foolishness. His power is available to me whenever I begin to travel blindly through the gears of my life. I praise Him for it! So does my family!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

1 2 3 … 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 … 646 647 648

Posts navigation